Employment Policies and Compliance

So When Do You Need to Pay Employees For Breaks?

the situation An employer rolls out a new system under which employees are free to log off and take breaks whenever they choose—but they will only be paid for the time if they log back in within ninety seconds.  Is this a violation of the FLSA?

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Two Week Countdown to Start Using Revised I-9 Form

the situation In July of this year, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) published a revised version of Form I-9 for employers to use to establish the eligibility of individuals for employment under the Immigration Reform and Control Act.  Although this new form has been available since July 17, until September 17, employers had the […]

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Concerned About Protecting Your Trade Secrets?

the situation Something that many employers have in common is a concern about protecting their confidential information, particularly in this day and age, when job hopping is somewhat common.  Many employers have some significant concerns about making sure that their trade secrets are fully protected from disclosure by employees that move on to greener pastures—this […]

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Heads Up—Deadline for Using New I-9 Forms Approaching

the situation Back in November, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) published a revised version of Form I-9, the tool employers must use in connection with establishing the eligibility of individuals for employment under the Immigration Reform and Control Act.  Employers must switch over to the new version of the form by January 22, 2017 […]

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Sick Leave for Federal Contractors—DOL’s Proposed Rule

the situation Your company does jobs for the federal government. You don’t currently provide employees with sick leave. Will you be required to change this practice?

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Employee’s Facebook Rant Against Employer on Social Media Could be Protected

the situation If an employee posts nasty complaints about my company or supervisors on Facebook or another social media site, can’t I fire him?

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Federal Government Contractors Required to Provide Paid Sick Leave

Employers of all sizes are faced with the challenging decision of whether to give their employees paid sick leave and, if so, how much. A new executive order signed by President Obama on Monday will now mandate that federal government contractors and subcontractors provide sick leave and even dictates how much.   The new executive order […]

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I-9 Violations Can Lead to Huge Fines

A recent decision from the agency reviewing civil penalties for I-9 violations serves as a reminder to employers of the dangers of failing to properly complete I-9s.

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Instagram intel—can an employer use it?

Let’s say one of your employees has a tendency to call in sick on Fridays when it just so happens to be 72 degrees and sunny out. Another employee reports to you that last Friday, that same worker posted a picture of herself on Instagram at a nearby water park, despite the fact that she […]

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I-9 Audits—What You Need to Know to Be Prepared

In 2010, Abercrombie and Fitch agreed to pay $1,047,110 to settle with ICE following an I-9 audit in which it was revealed that there were numerous technology-related deficiencies in its electronic I-9 verification system.  In 2012, after an investigation and audit of its I-9 forms, a restaurant in Dayton, Ohio was fined more than $20,000 […]

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